The Bridge - March 2007
We hope that The Bridge is a welcome addition to your mailbox, bringing you a monthly summary of news and events from your alma mater. If you do not wish to receive The Bridge, you may unsubscribe by visiting the website.
If there is an alternate email address at which you would prefer to receive the Bridge, please send your name, class year, and alternate email address to alumni-office@wpi.edu.
Your questions and comments are always welcome at thebridge@wpi.edu. If links don't appear to work when you click on them, try copying and pasting them into your browser's URL address field.
ALUMNI NEWS
New Look for Alumni Website
WPI's new Development and Alumni Relations website will soon be offering more and better ways for WPI alumni to connect with one another and with the university in real time. The new online community will provide a new and improved searchable alumni directory; enhanced networking opportunities based on your profession, personal interests, geographic area, or WPI affiliation; job and resume postings; and up-to-the-minute news about your classmates. Watch your mailbox for details and login information. Explore the new Alumni website.
Alumni Leadership Council Meeting
The annual Alumni Leadership Council will be held on March 24. A new vision for the Alumni Association will be presented, and you will hear about the exciting developments on campus. Please contact alumni-office@wpi.edu or 508-831-5600 to let us know if you will be joining us.
Class of '59 Golf Outing
Join us at the Venice Golf & Country Club, 250 Venice Golf Club Drive, Venice, Fla., on March 28. Tee off at 12:15 p.m. Cost for golf is $70. Spouses are welcome for golf and/or other area activities; dinner will follow for those interested. Contact Win Wassenar '59 at winthrop.m.wassenar@williams.edu, 413-458-5693, or Donna Stock at 508-831-6073, dstock@wpi.edu.
WPI NEWS
Women's Basketball Team Takes ECAC Championship
WPI won the ECAC New England Division III women's basketball championship on March 3, with a thrilling 58-57 victory over Wheaton College. The win brought the team's record to 23-7, equaling the school record for wins in a season established during the 1995-96 season. WPI's men's basketball team, ranked 18th in the nation, succumbed to Stevens Institute of Technology, 68-57, in the opening round of the NCAA Division III men's basketball championship on March 2. Latest sports news.
Campus Expansion on the Horizon
WPI is about to start an exciting campus expansion project with the construction of a 230-bed, apartment-style residence hall. The new residence hall will be designed as a "green" building using sustainable design principles under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. This project, along with plans to build an adjacent parking garage, will provide new energy to this area of campus. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer, with the development of a restaurant and a convenience store located on the first floor of Founders Hall. Project details and webcam.
Faculty and Staff Transitions
- Professor Germano Iannacchione has been appointed head of the Department of Physics. He joined the faculty of WPI in 1998 and has served as interim head since April 1, 2006, when Professor John Norbury left WPI.
- Professor Jim Doyle will take office as head of the Department of Social Science and Policy Studies when Professor Khalid Saeed ends his term at the end of June 2007. Doyle joined the faculty of WPI in 1992.
- Biology & Biotechnology Professor Ron Cheetham will retire at the end of D-term, after 24 years at WPI. He has been elected professor emeritus.
- Christopher Pratt joined WPI as the new director of the Career Development Center at WPI. His experience includes serving as dean for career education at Columbia University, director of career services and professional activities at MIT, and director of career services at Seton Hall University.
FIRST Robotics Team Makes History
The WPI/Massachusetts Academy of Mathematics and Sciences team secured the coveted Regional Chairman's Award on March 3 at the FIRST BAE Systems/Granite State Regional competition in Manchester, N.H. It was the first time in the competition's history that a team won the award two years in a row. Learn more.
WPI Guard Takes Division III Basketball Trophy
Senior Ryan P. Cain, a record-setting guard on the men's basketball team, has received the 2007 Jostens Trophy, awarded to the years' most outstanding Division III basketball student athletes. Recipients are honored for their basketball ability, academic prowess, and community service. Read the press release.
Announcements & Reminders
March 22: BEI Corporate Forum
WPI's Bioengineering Institute (BEI) will host the second annual WPI Biotechnology & Bioengineering Corporate Forum. Along with local wide-ranging perspective on the industry, the research, development, and commercialization efforts of WPI's Life Sciences departments and the Bioengineering Institute will be presented. Register.
March 28: Graduate Research Day Graduate Research Achievement Day (GRAD) 2007 is a poster-style symposium that showcases the research of WPI's graduate students. Posters will be on display in the Campus Center, Odeum, from 1 to 4 p.m. Students will be available to discuss their research.To learn more, visit the GRAD 2007 website.
March 28: WPI Partnership Opportunities Breakfast
Join us from 7:30 to 10 a.m. in the Campus Center Mid-Century Room to learn how WPI can enhance your organization's efforts in recruiting, diversity, employee education, and research and development. We encourage you to bring a few colleagues as engineering, R&D, human resources, and training leaders would benefit from this program. Space is limited; reservations are required. RSVP to tadams@wpi.edu or 508-831-5198.
2007 Kalenian Award
The Kalenian Award, in memory of Aram Kalenian '33, offers seed money to advance the ideas and inventiveness of WPI students, faculty, and alumni. Deadlines for this year's competition will be announced soon. For more information, contact Gina Betti at gbetti@wpi.edu, or check the Kalenian Award website.
Summer Session Registration is Open
Schedules and registration information.
WPI IN THE NEWS
- WPI's Associate Provost and Dean of Corporate & Professional Education Stephen Flavin's commentary on changing demographics and training and development appeared in Worcester Business Journal. Read more.
- Diran Apelian, Director of WPI's Metal Processing Institute reflected on the field's last 50 years and surveyed its future in JOM. Read more.
CAREERS & LIFELONG LEARNING
April 19: Massachusetts Educational Recruiting Consortium (MERC) Education Job Fair at Bayside Expo and Executive Conference Center, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Open to undergraduates, graduates and alumni of member colleges only. (WPI is a MERC member). Obtain candidate registration materials through the Career Development Center. You must obtain these materials before the actual fair. Contact Jeanette Doyle in the CDC at jmdoyle@wpi.edu with questions. View participating school systems.
The Alumni Association's Career/Employment Program helps alumni in the search for new employment or with making a career change, and provides counseling and mentoring on a private, one-to-one basis. For more information, e-mail alumni-office@wpi.edu or call 508-831-5600.
Job listings are posted on an "as received" basis for the convenience of WPI alumni. Job-seekers are responsible for contacting employers and/or recruitment firms to verify particulars and request further information.
ALUMNI EVENTS
Contact alumni-office@wpi.edu or 508-831-5600 for details. Full Alumni Calendar.
- March 17: Northern California Chapter: FIRST Robotics Competition, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., San Jose State University, One Washington Square, San Jose, CA. Join Ken Stafford, WPI robotics advisor, for a tailgate and a demonstration of the team's robot. RSVP to alumni-office@wpi.edu or 508-831-5600.
- March 24: Alumni Leadership Council, 8 a.m.-noon, Olin Hall.
- April 11: Tech Old Timers: "Gateway Park: An Investment in the Life Sciences and in Worcester," 9:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Campus Center, Odeum. Speakers include Steve Hebert '66, University Vice President, and David Forsberg, President, WBDC.
- May 2: GOLD Committee Meeting, 6:30-8 p.m., Campus Center, Mid-Century Room. Sponsored by: WPI Graduates of the Last Decade.
- June 7-10: Reunion 2007! Schedule and registration.
UNIVERSITY EVENTS
- March 22: Biotechnology and Bioengineering Corporate Forum, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Campus Center, Odeum. Details.
- March 27: Design Squad: An Opportunity to Improve the Public Perception of Engineering Through Popular Media, 4 p.m., Olin 107. MIT Professor Dan Frey will discuss WGBH's plans for new children's programming and projects.
- March 28: WPI Partnership Opportunities Breakfast, 7:30-10 a.m., Campus Center, Mid-Century Room. RSVP to tadams@wpi.edu or 508-831-5198.
- April 4: 2nd Annual WPI/UMass Symposium on Tissue Regeneration, 12:30-5 p.m., Campus Center, Odeum. Info: bei@wpi.edu or 508-831-6800.
- April 17: Project Presentation Day. Schedule TBA.
- Class Notes - Share news with classmates
- Alumni Job Opportunities
- Career Development Center
- Alumni Web Site - Your source for alumni information and events!
- Alumni Events
- Transformations: WPI's Alumni Magazine
- Athletics: Weekly Roundup
- Athletics: Schedule
- Campus Events
Bookmarks
Your questions and comments are always welcome at thebridge@wpi.edu.
Last modified: Mar 13, 2007, 15:30 EDT